Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Granholm is offering our prison space to the Terminator?Wasn't she just begging for Gitmo prisoners as well?Is she aware that Arnold is issuing IOU's?Don't we need to actually raise revenue to continue operating these prisons?Will the creditors that need to get paid to operate the prisons accept IOU's?

I've got an idea.How about turning these prisons over to the private sector?Rather that constantly searching for ways to keep the size of Government inflated,let's reduce it and save the taxpayer money.

Round 2 of the tea parties is this weekend.I still think the focus needs to shift.Taxes are not the end all.Spending is.If Government doesn't have enough tax revenue available,they simply deficit spend and we get the situation we have today with states going bankrupt.If you raised taxes 1,000%,they would spend 2,000%.If you reduce the taxes,the Government programs still remain and any new revenue is used to create more.It's a bottomless pit.The only way to reduce our tax burden is to strictly control the spending.More to come...

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Today the 100 state troopers face the axe from Granholm.Make no mistake,she alone is responsibile for snuffing out their careers before they start and creating untold hardship for their families.All to reward her longtime friend and heavy Dem financial supporter,developer Joel Ferguson.

Gee,I wonder if the good developer could find it in his heart to employ these state troopers on his future construction projects?Seems only fair that they benefit in some way from the creation of the unwanted MSP headquarters which is destroying their careers simply for a political payoff.

Granholm has no concern for this senseless act coming back to haunt her as she is out next year anyway.Ferguson has covered his bases by contributing to Republicans as well as Dems to divert the ethics angle.

Ray Kinsella answered the voice inside him to plow his crops under and build a baseball field in Field of Dreams.This has more of the look of a nightmare.

Here's a salute to the good men and women who serve the MSP and are caught in the middle of corrupt politics.More to come...

Friday, June 26, 2009

Drop these people a love letter even if they aren't in your district as they have just made the difference as Republicans crossing over to Queen Pelosi's side.You already know which Republican Senators will sell out.Your quality of life is about to permanently get worse as this horror show will cost every citizen in ways we can't even measure yet.More to come...

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

The time has come for our Governor to step aside.For the good of the state and it's citizens.Years of failure and false promises,poor planning and bad policy.We are dead last nationwide and the gap is widening.Some may argue that California is even worse.I think they are ahead of the game because they are being forced to face their demons on July 1st when the state goes broke and defaults on it's debts.Provided,of course that Obama doesn't bail them out.

I think that even waiting until she's term limited out next year is too long.She has her sights set on a place with the Obama administration and is spending her time on national issues of global warming and health care.We need drastic action immediately and her agenda will only make it tougher to achieve.Sure,I understand this will never happen.

I don't think the majority realize the gravity of our plight and just how much worse it's going to be by the end of next year.So many still want to buy into the auto industry destruction as being the primary cause.I was a tea party attendee and love the idea.But the tax revolt is just a small step.The spending is the real demon anyway.

However,I think the focus must move to removing the inherent causes which is politicians themselves.The Republicans will never get the overwhelming power the Democrats enjoy right now with both houses of Congress,The White House,the judicial system and the media.It will never happen because the Republicans would have to inflict great pain to correct what has transpired and is yet to occur.Keeping up positive consumer confidence and results at the polls is the holy grail.

Reform will have to go to the very core and this is where public support will exist.Let's hope that when the incumbents get run out of town in 2010,the Republicans who benefit realize the key point.The Democrats won on the "hope and change" false promises.It was the standard rejection of the current administrations policies and not an endorsement of the incoming administration.This will be the same in 2010.It will be a rejection of Liberal failures.However,the Republicans won't have a mandate and must prove that things will really change.Actions will have to be decisive and quick.They had better get term limits and a whole host of changes enacted that will prevent Government growing and vastly reduce it's power.If not,they will not last long and we'll be right back here again.More to come...

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Reform seems to be the buzzword lately.How about a few suggestions on elected officials?I can't think of anyone we trust less than those we have entrusted with our tax dollars.

I would start with annual audits of every elected and appointed official at all levels of Government.The IRS is certainly here to stay for awhile.We groan but haven't shown the necessary outrage to dismantle it.So let's make the best use of it's agents and make sure they are auditing the people that need it most.Sort of like the death penalty,maybe a little deterrence would help in making these people think twice.

I love Thomas Sowell's idea of moving election day to April 16th so that writing your check to the IRS is fresh on your mind at the ballot box.I would even go one step furthur and move election day to April 15th so you cast your ballot at the same time you are paying the IRS.A one stop shop with computer access in the ballot box with candidates voting records and financial disclosures displayed for you as you vote.Talk about shock and awe!

Certainly,term limits and part-time legislatures are a given.Lifetime pensions and healthcare go bye-bye as well.These positions need to be returned to what they were intended-public servants.Just like the military,only those who heed the call to serve will do so out of a sense of duty knowing full well the scrutiny they will face and that it will only be temporary.Should they be paid well while serving?I have no problem with that,only that it's not a career position.Besides,good public servants will reap rewards in the private sector later.

I think any reforming of our Government must start here.Electing public servants who have good motives will allow reforming all other areas needing complete overhaul.More to come...

The 2nd major round of tea parties is coming up on the 4th of July.What better time to review the list of taxes on the books.I've found several places on the web with partial lists and tried to compress them into one.Obviously,this is simply to make a point and accuracy is not guaranteed.Every tax does not apply to every person nor equally.Certainly there are some I have missed and the Lord knows our politicians are currently hard at work trying to add more.

91 taxes in this compilation.Let's not forget the 116 license requirements for those wishing to start a business in Michigan.What rational person could possibly dispute this?Even the left should be behind this because they have their wide variety of social causes they want supported and the pool of money available is spread thin.Wouldn't even they want more money directed at their pet projects rather than being diluted throughout so many different taxes?More to come...

It was Monday,June 8 when President Obama proclaimed he would "save or create" 600,000 jobs this summer because of his stimulus package.That's 6,000 per day for the 100 day period.We are now at day 15 meaning we should be up to 90,000 so far.Anyone see any evidence of this?

Maybe he's using the same calculator that Jenny uses when she just announced the 11,000 new jobs the other day.Of course,her prediction is spread out over several years and history has shown this prediction is likely to fail as the MEDC claims always do.

I know I should be more positive here.Obama has saved 150,000 jobs so far and will save 600,000 more this summer.Our 9.4% national unemployment rate would be much higher were it not for these 750,000 jobs saved by the stimulus.There,I feel much better now.More to come...

The Constitution should be revered and upheld,not simply referenced as a part of history

America was not founded to be part of a global community,it stands apart as a beacon of freedomand liberty and justice that the world can aspire to rise up to

Your sworn duty is to uphold the Constitution wholly in it's entirety and you are bound by the law of the land

These are just a few points that you have demonstrated to have little regard for thus far in your term.America still is the greatest country in the world.You are attempting to mold it in your extremist views.Certainly you are aware that the majority of Americans don't hold your views.We are a very resilient people and others like you have come before and been rejected.Your day is coming as well.Maybe even you can learn the true spirit of the American people who treasure our reason for being more than changing our culture to fit your views.No American agrees with every facet of what our make-up is nor should we.

We believe that we have no right to another persons property or wealth.We have no obligation to support every possible variation of our culture.We are tolerant and allow these differences,but the majority rules in this country.The variety of minority views and cultures are encouraged ,yet not allowed to dictate how the majority conforms.

We don't want a one class society.We aren't obligated to provide everything for everybody.Compassion and charity are virtues of our citizens.They freely flow more than any other part of the world.But they must remain a product of free will.The American citizen enjoys giving more than receiving.This is not my opinion,it has been proven generation after generation.You will destroy it if you attempt to force it upon people.

The bottom line is we wish to keep America free.We prefer opportunity over obligation.We prefer reward over welfare.We believe that people can achieve their best when they have the opportunity and choice to pursue it.Creating dependency and providing an eternal low standard of living actually kills the human spirit and will to succeed.Your goal of permanent dependency to maintain power has backfired on every dictator and oppressive Government that has ever attempted it thru the history of mankind.Study your history more and less of those who promote ideological views of society.

America became the greatest country on the planet because of the ideals of the Founding Fathers.It will succeed despite your efforts to ignore this.More to come...

Saturday, June 20, 2009

The MEDC/MEGA/Granholm dog and pony show is on parade again with it's latest. 11,000 new jobs,$247 million in investments. Hurrah!

"We are making significant progress toward diversifying Michigan's economy despite a national recession," Granholm said. "The expansions announced today demonstrate that businesses across a wide spectrum of sectors are choosing Michigan over other states for new growth opportunities. These are the types of projects that will transform our economy and create good-paying jobs for our workers."I still like the Mackinac Center description as the job announcement program rather than the job creation program.

When you look into the 15 projects announced,you find a wide range of subsidies.It would certainly be interesting to read the playbook on the formula MEGA uses to determine the tax credit amount.For instance.Farmers Group will return nearly 75% of their planned investment thru tax credits "costing" nearly $40k per job created in credits.Yet,Holland Awning will only "cost" us just under $8k per job created directly by the company.

Of course,most of these projects are over many years or even decades.Farmers has 17 years to hire 1,400 and claim 100% of their tax credit.

At least we can sleep better knowing our economy is again being transformed and businesses around the globe are choosing Michigan for it's superior business climate.My God,how do these people keep a straight face spewing out garbage like that?More to come...

Friday, June 19, 2009

You remember Sarah Palin had "troopergate" during the election?It appears Granholm has her own version and this one doesn't appear to fade away so easily.Political payoffs can have a heavy price as Monica Conyers is about to learn.

Granholm is claiming the commitment is unbreakable to lease the new MSP headquarters.As rock solid as the automaker bondholders were in bankruptcy?The trouble is she doesn't have to worry about re-election or she may reconsider the value of sticking to her political payback.

I also have to wonder why a proposal is in the works to add 2,500 more inmates to the existing Baldwin,MI facility when we are closing prisons.

You should also check out the financial reform proposal Obama is promoting.Page 69 will simply astound you.The Community Re-investment Act,widely regarded as the genesis of the housing bubble,is not only being saved but expanded under the new rules.This clearly meets the definition of insanity.More to come...

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Unemployment in Michigan now exceeds 14%. 14.1% thru May of 2009 actually. 682,000 residents relying on Government for unemployment benefits.Let's keep in mind that these figures they release only reflect people actively seeking work in the last 4 weeks.It doesn't include those who have stopped looking,run out of benefits,working only part-time,working in jobs temporarily while they seek other jobs,etc.

Still,that's 55,000 more unemployed in just the last month.These numbers don't account for automaker factory closings,suppliers and dealer closings upcoming.

Manufacturing jobs also lost an average of over 5 hours per week in May and earnings dropped over $130 per week since April.

The Mackinac Center is on record predicting 20% unemployment as a real possibility in Michigan.

Is it time for the Motor City name to die?We continue to try to prop up and hold on to what was a great industry for generations.But it's time has passed as being iconic.While it certainly would be beneficial for Michigan to remain involved in the auto industry,and we will,we must face the music and finally evolve.Granholm has visions of Michigan being the industry leader in "green" technology.I think it would be unwise to make the new "green" auto industry the cornerstone of our future.It should only be a piece of the very diverse economy that is required to survive and excel in the years to come.More to come...

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Forbes.com has released a story on the best and worst cities for economic recovery.Care to guess where Flint came in?Of course,dead last.

Flint, Michigan(Longest Road to Recovery)GDP at start of recession: $10.96 billionEnd of 2010: $9.25 billion (-15.6%, projected)Unemployment: 14.2%Median home/median salary ratio: 1.5Nowhere has been hurt by the recession more than Flint. Once an automotive center, the city's economy is projected to shrink by a Depression-like -15.6% from the start of the recession to the end of 2010. (A 10% decline of GDP is sometimes cited as a rule of thumb for depression.) Moody's estimates that Flint will not recover to its pre-recession size in the next decade.Outsiders can clearly see the picture here yet the Granholm administration spews out the green shoots promises of Obama.Wouldn't it be nice to see our leaders realize the depth of the problem and begin the drastic steps necessary to enact changes?More to come...

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Protocol used to be envy at the greatest free market system ever built-the U.S.A.!Countries around the world could only sit back and admire how successful we were and dream of someday becoming just like us.

My,how times have changed.Today,we are many things.A laughingstock,evil,responsible for the economic collapse,etc.None of it good.Our President travels the globe apologizing for us while at the same time managing to insult other cultures everyday.Biden is simply an embarassment and should just go hide in his bunker except that everyone now knows where it is.

Our energy policy is amazing to other countries.We refuse to utilize our natural resources while other countries help themselves to them just 50 miles offshore.European countries promote nuclear power and it's economic advantages.We stand pat.Our policy is to go "green" at the expense of saving green.

We are now left with only one true American car company left-Ford.Chrysler is now foreign owned and GM is now taxpayer owned.Just lump them in with Amtrak as a permanently subsidized Government entity.The new GM CEO states that this is his first rodeo when it comes to the car business.How reassuring.

Dealergate should be criminal but is just shrugged at.Obama is without question the driver behind this and the list was certainly OK'd by the White House.Fraud is rampant as usual.Barney Frank was able to save his district dealership to secure votes.Obama is today forcing the GM dealers to sign the wind down agreements or face punishment thru the removal of warranties for their inventory.

Michigan is toast.We are assured of double digit unemployment well into the next decade with the Government destruction of the automotive business.Add in the carbon tax for our coal dependent powerplants.Higher taxes,higher utility costs,higher prices,higher inflation,higher interest rates,higher unemployment-all coming to your neighborhood courtesy of Obama's social agenda.More to come...

Monday, June 8, 2009

Obama appears to be delivering as promised.He makes claim to have saved 150,000 jobs so far under his stimulus plan.We have also spent about 5% of the stimulus funds to this point.Extrapolate that out with the handy calculator and we are on pace to "save or create" over 3 million jobs thru the stimulus.

Now we're told he will "save or create" 600,000 jobs in the next 100 days.This should cost us about $175 billion in stimulus funds based on the formula used so far.Not bad.6,000 jobs "saved or created" each and every day this summer at a cost exceeding $275,000 per job.

If only we all had a cult following of kool-aid drinkers buying into this garbage.Life would be so easy.More to come...

Another 2010 election preview is available for incumbents to stress about.They always say elections have consequences.So does bad policy making.The Liberals in America may currently own the White House,both Houses of Congress,the Courts(in progress) and the media.However,they don't own the majority of the public despite the best interests of ACORN.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

I have read a few calls for county wide school districts.While this may sound promising on the surface,it is a poor idea in reality.These are private enterprise solutions.It makes perfect sense in a business environment to consolidate and take advantage of the cost cutting benefits.

To put it simply,when has enlarging any Government bureaucracy ever succeeded?Giving a school board greater authority on a county wide basis is just asking for trouble.It's the same as comparing Government at the Federal level to a local level.Bigger Government never works better.Elected officials always serve our interests better when their authority is limited as a safeguard in how much damage they can do.Just imagine your frustration at trying to recall a rogue member of a single district and then giving them more influence on a county wide basis.

I absolutely commend people for raising these alternative ideas,however.It's just that these days find us in uncharted waters politically.Government expansion must be checked at all levels.You now see the White House skirting accountability by appointing czars to perform important oversight functions.They issue Executive Orders at any given whim to legislate from the Oval Office bypassing the Congressional check and balance.Judges that legislate from the bench are being put in place with virtually no opposition.

I certainly don't claim to have all the answers.However,I have seen countless examples of why bigger Government is simply bad for it's citizens.I would hope that people will develop solutions that take this into account when reforming programs such as our broken Dept. of Education.More to come...

Friday, June 5, 2009

The "official" unemployment rate for May nationally is 9.4%.Perhaps the alternative number that is almost never publicized is more appropriate.16.4%-yikes!Sort of like the $20.6 billion dollars we just spent on Federal debt interest just in the month of May alone.We probably won't hear that number repeated much as we hear about the recession ending everyday.

16.4%.This number includes the marginally attached workers.I heard it referenced more frequently when the sales pitch for the stimulus was in high gear.However,now it goes back on the shelf as it doesn't serve Obama well as he tries to tout the recession as over because of his stimulus recovery package.

Twisting the numbers to serve your agenda is of course common practice.Obama has simply taken it up a notch with his "save or create" mythical jobs report.Jobs are created in the spring and summer every year recession or not.

Every single job that is created from the $787 billion stimulus is a temp job.The census jobs are temp jobs.The President so far has only managed to kill private sector jobs and create these temp Government jobs.Is it any wonder that he and Granholm get along so well?Like 2 peas in a pod.More to come...

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

GM is now poised for deja vu.Nothing of substance has changed for the new GM.They won't be able to produce a profitable car.The UAW has more influence than ever before.The Government will now introduce more regulation and oversight than ever before.The corporate hierarchy is still intact with an insider at the helm.I see no improvements.Sure,the debt is being set aside.But the debt is essentially irrelevant because the bailout turnstile is now wide open.The green car push will now be job one and the carbon tax and VAT taxes will become part of the price tag.So,the business plan will be focused on selling cars the majority of customers don't want and overpriced to boot.

The UAW has only agreed to a wage freeze.In my opinion,the UAW carries the largest share of the burden here.Just think of why they exist.Job security,high wages and benefits are always front and center.Efficiency and productivity are discouraged.I was a union worker and served as a steward myself,so I do speak from experience.I remember "work to rule".We were told to follow every possible safety precaution and to do every task 100% by the book.Working quickly to meet deadlines was not allowed.No working thru breaks or doing someone else's job.Every union member knows that these tactics are designed to employ the maximum number of workers and thus increase the unions membership and bargaining power.The jobs bank is well known.I won't go into all the different ways the union increases membership,just suffice it to say it was priority number one.

Number two for me has to be Government regulation.CAFE,safety,emissions,etc.The burden of excessive regulation can kill any business.And it was all just a warm-up for what is upon us now.Again,I won't go thru all the history here as it would take too long.

Of course,corporate mis-management is in the mix as well as the culture problems and waste are well documented.The point is that all the elements that led to the failure of GM are still solidly in place.Prepare for bailouts for as far as one can see.More to come...

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Watching the economists and pundits on TV is painful as they still promote this false recovery.I wish the majority of Americans would understand the simple fundamentals of capitalism and they would easily discount the "green shoots" propaganda.

The Keynesians,which include the majority of prominent economists and all of the Obama supporters,stick to their flawed philosophy and sell it well I might add.

The GDP,the broadest measure of the economy,is like a teeter totter.The value of all goods and services produced equate to the currency amount used to measure it,in our case the dollar.Our current Gross Domestic Product is in the range of $13-$14 trillion.

Any increase in goods or services requires a corresponding dollar value increase.The Government is now attempting to flood the market with liquidity,or printing money.Whether they sell bonds to investors or simply buy them thru the Fed,the net result is the same.They have created money out of thin air because it is not backed by any corresponding increase in goods or services.This throws the teeter totter out of balance.

The Fed attempts to manipulate the market by it's only 2 tools.It can print money and it can regulate the cost of borrowing it.The artificial raising and lowering of interest rates not driven by true market forces is what creates our bubble boom and bust cycles.Printing money in massive quantities,or quantitative easing,causes the dollar to devalue.All of this artificial manipulation is to attempt to control inflation.

By messing with the money supply and the cost of borrowing,the Fed is CAUSING our economic problems,not solving them.Everything must be market driven for capitalism to function properly.Bankruptcy is vital to this process.Businesses that aren't run efficiently and turn a profit,such as the Big 3,must fail.When you prop them up thru Government bailouts,they are simply encouraged to continue their poor fiscal policies risk free.When they fail,the good parts of their business are sold to the competition,they don't just evaporate.

Politicians have money and power as their base.Their decisions and votes are all re-election driven,and money and power are their tools.The President,the Fed,the Treasury,they are all in bed together to manipulate the money supply for these same reasons.They can't simply allow the market to function unregulated because they have no control over where the money goes.So the battle will always continue to control the market and the money despite what they may say publicly.

Bear Stearns,Lehman Bros.,AIG,Citigroup,Wells Fargo,Bank of America,GM,Chrysler,Fannie Mae,Freddie Mac,etc.They should have all been allowed to fail.That's the purpose of bankruptcy court,to distribute the assets.We were warned that the world would have collapsed and our economy reduced to third world status if the Government hadn't stepped in.Hogwash.You've just been sold a huge bill of goods.

Investors in these companies would have lost money,absolutely.That's why there's risk in investing.But the companies good assets and the corresponding jobs would have simply migrated over to the new owners.The point is that no company is too big to fail regardless of what we're told.That's just political speak for more control.

Regulation is a key piece to this puzzle.Effective regulation.Regulation that is really designed to protect consumers and investors.Having a free market in no way means having no regulation.However,regulation shouldn't hinder productivity as it does today.It should simply be a safeguard to prevent things like the derivative markets from running wild.Oversight can be a good thing if implemented properly and with the correct intentions.Regulation overhaul would be maybe the most daunting task to clean up the politics and payoffs involved.

We have had at best capitalism light in this country.It's never been given a fair shake at success.It's simply not feasible with our current political state.The only way it ever changes if if the will of the people forces it.I don't think the average American is willing to go there today.It would require a major lifestyle adjustment for millions.Short term pain for long term gain.But the pain would be very difficult to endure for many.It's the only way if we really want to take our country back.More to come...

Monday, June 1, 2009

New child on the way?Congratulations!Now is the time to plan ahead and make sure your child is ready to face the world.Here is a helpful checklist of items to assist you.

-Diapers-Pacifier-Blanket-Crib-Formula-$184,000

Yeah,unfortunately,that last little tip is your childs share of the Federal debt obligation which is currently $56.4 trillion and counting.The good news is that Obama is currently considering the VAT tax to help subsidize the cost of health care along with his health care reform package which will save even more money by eliminating benefits for enrollees.52.7% of voters said this is what they want.Unfortunately,what they want costs me and my family their future as well.So if you have to decided to be so irresponsible as to bring a child into this world,just think of them as a Government bond with their share of the debt already built-in.More to come...

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Preamble to the U.S. Constitution

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.